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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23644699">Baton Pass</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/charlietheepic7/pseuds/charlietheepic7'>charlietheepic7</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Crossovers No One But Me Wanted [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 5, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Persona Fusion, BAMF Midoriya Izuku, Crack Treated Seriously, Crossover, Everyone thinks Izuku and Akira are brothers, Midoriya Izuku Has One for All Quirk, Midoriya Izuku Has a Quirk, Midoriya Izuku Joins the Phantom Thieves, Other, Phantom Thieves of Hearts - Freeform, Phantom Thieves on seeing Izuku: that's ours now, The Phantom Thieves Have Quirks, Vigilante Midoriya Izuku, no beta we die like men</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 21:27:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,467</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23644699</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/charlietheepic7/pseuds/charlietheepic7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Shouta didn’t hesitate to open the interrogation room door; hesitating wouldn’t change the person inside, after all. And how Shouta wished he didn’t know the person inside, that it was just a stranger—someone from general studies, perhaps, or a management course student. Not one of his. Not 1-A.</p><p>But reality held steady. Shouta pulled out the chair across from the suspect and sat down, placing the heavy file on the table between them. Nedzu was watching now; he had to hold steady if he wanted any choice of getting out of here with his job intact. Not like he deserved it anyway, since he didn’t even notice the villain in his class.</p><p>Realizing that didn’t make seeing Izuku Midoriya’s determined stare from the other side of the table any easier.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akechi Goro &amp; Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku &amp; Persona 5 Protagonist, Midoriya Izuku &amp; Sakura Futaba, Midoriya Izuku &amp; The Phantom Thieves</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Crossovers No One But Me Wanted [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1910695</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>93</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>686</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Interrogation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/19891477">Various and Mostly Unrelated AUs</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/charlietheepic7/pseuds/charlietheepic7">charlietheepic7</a>.
        </li>

    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>            UA didn’t advertise such amenities, but the school did have completely functional simulation areas. The most obvious were the training grounds and areas like the USJ, meant to emulate the scenarios heroes-to-be would face once they left school. But there were also lesser used ones. One such area were the interrogation rooms in the basement and that was where Shouta was heading.</p><p>            He had to fight for this role. Nedzu hadn’t wanted him to be the interrogator. Shouta was compromised, could accept it. The only person more compromised than him was All Might, and wasn’t that a painful realization, that somehow a criminal not only managed to infiltrate UA but that they had also managed to get him to care for them. Shouta was almost tempted to storm back upstairs and let Nedzu deal with it, but his pride held him back. He’d never hear the end of it if he left now.</p><p>            Besides… he was obligated to see this through. Both for his and the kid’s sake.</p><p>            Shouta didn’t hesitate to open the interrogation room door; hesitating wouldn’t change the person inside, after all. And how Shouta wished he didn’t know the person inside, that it was just a stranger—someone from general studies, perhaps, or a management course student. Not one of his. Not 1-A.</p><p>            But reality held steady. Shouta pulled out the chair across from the suspect and sat down, placing the heavy file on the table between them. Nedzu was watching now; he had to hold steady if he wanted any choice of getting out of here with his job intact. Not like he deserved it anyway, since he didn’t even notice the villain in his class.</p><p>            Realizing that didn’t make seeing Izuku Midoriya’s determined stare from the other side of the table any easier.</p><p>            Shit, the kid didn’t look like a villain. He didn’t act like a villain. There were no signs: he had a stable relationship with his mother, a diverse group of friends both in and out of UA, good grades, an impressive quirk… Where did things go wrong for him?</p><p>            “Sensei.”</p><p>            Shouta glared. He had the audacity to not even flinch. “Midoriya. Do you know why you’re here?”</p><p>            He lifted his hands, the handcuffs chaining them to the table clicking. The anti-quirk material glowed an eerie blue. “I can guess.”</p><p>            “Still, I must state it for the record. The suspect is Izuku Midoriya, age 15, quirk: Baton Pass. You are being charged with being a member of a villain organization, infiltrating UA, spying on UA, blackmail, defamation, breaking and entering, theft, conspiracy to commit crimes…” He sighed. The hard part. “And attacking a pro hero. Are you aware of the serious nature of these crimes?”</p><p>            “I am.”</p><p>            “And how do you plead in regards to these charges?”</p><p>            “Guilty of the last, innocent to the rest.”</p><p>            This child… denying all crimes but the worst. “Are you saying that you are not involved with the villain organization known as the Phantom Thieves of Hearts?”</p><p>            “I am involved, but we are not villains.”</p><p>            “Your crimes say otherwise, Midoriya.”</p><p>            “Villainy, by common law, is defined as committing a crime through the use of a quirk. While the actual technicalities are expounded upon in more detailed laws, it is a common fact that for a case to even be defined as villainous, it must meet the prior standard. As the crimes believed to be committed by the Phantom Thieves of Hearts are not perpetuated through a quirk, it is not villainy and therefore not your division, Aizawa-sensei.”</p><p>            “Are you telling me that the Phantom Thieves are somehow changing hearts without the use of a quirk?” This went against all current information on how the Phantom Thieves committed crime. The SIU specifically noted that the “changes of heart” had to be caused through the use of a brainwashing quirk, but if it wasn’t a quirk, then what was it?</p><p>            Midoriya shrugged. “Believe what you want.”</p><p>            “You’re acting awfully calm for someone in your position.”</p><p>            “Why wouldn’t I? You’d never hurt me, Aizawa-sensei.”</p><p>            Shouta bit back a curse. “That won’t be the case for long. Soon enough, we’ll have to transfer you into the care of the Special Investigations Unit, Midoriya, and believe me, they won’t be as gentle as UA in their interrogation tactics.” He never wanted one of his students to face the SIU, not even… “So either you confess here, where you still have protection, or they’ll make you confess. Do you understand?”</p><p>            “Confess…” he murmured, lost in thought. Green eyes grew glassy as he thought it over, sharpening when he looked back at Shouta. “Alright then. I’ll confess here. What do you want to know?”</p><p>            Too easy. What trick was Midoriya playing? He’d seen the boy’s analysis work before; there’s no way someone as smart as he wasn’t planning anything. “The beginning.”</p><p>            “Ah…” he cocked his head. “I wasn’t there for the beginning though; should I just tell you what I heard or from the part where I ended the picture?”</p><p>            Shouta exhaled. This problem child… “From wherever you feel comfortable, Midoriya.”</p><p>            He nodded. “Okay then. Technically it started roughly a year ago, but I’ve been… involved with the situation for almost a year and a half now when I found a little hiding spot in a different prefecture…”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. March 19th, 22XX</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Izuku had hoped, with it being the last day of their second year, that Kaachan would have left him alone. He should have known it would be too much to ask, given that the spring break between years would mean that Kaachan would be able to knock him around for the next few weeks. Still, he’d thought a teacher would have held him back to compliment him on being top of the class yet again, or something similar.</p><p>But nope! Kaachan and his gang—the members had varied throughout the years, so Izuku didn’t feel guilty about not knowing their names—decided to play one last game of Burn the Nerd, or whatever the reason was for them to attack him. Fortunately, years of being a target made Izuku fast and he was barely able to keep two steps ahead of Kaachan before losing him in the crowd. Izuku kept running though; Kaachan wasn’t one to give up and would search the area for him.</p><p>Which led to Izuku’s current predicament: he had no idea where he was. The area seemed run down, shabby but functional, as opposed to the rather modern look of Musutafu. So, he was probably in a different prefecture. He sighed. This was just <em>great.</em> Hopefully he had enough money to travel home again; this place was near the train station, so it shouldn’t cost more than a few hundred yen.</p><p>Izuku winced as he walked around the neighborhood. Despite his best efforts, Kaachan had managed to get in a burn or two. Another uniform, ruined. Mom didn’t have that much money! She couldn’t afford to keep replacing all his uniforms every time Kaachan got testy and it’s not like Izuku could repair fabric burns himself.</p><p>He sighed. Maybe one of the local establishments had a phone he could use so his mom would pick him up? But no, that would just cause trouble. At least, someone would be able to tell him where he was so he could get a train home. Looking around, Izuku realized he had wondered into an alley and the nearest business was a small shop with a red awning. Leblanc, Coffee and… Curry? Weird combo, but alright. Steeling his nerves, Izuku walked inside, bell chiming overhead.</p><p>The coffee shop was nice, homey and warm, with wood all around him. Instead of proper booths, there were tables in between wooden loveseats with red cushions, clearly all a part of a set but different enough to seem accidental and charming. Behind the bar was the most elaborate coffee maker Izuku had ever seen and the barista, an aging man—his hairline was receding but the color was still black, and he wore glasses with a pointed goatee. The man looked up from his newspaper and nodded at him without smiling the traditional “I’m in customer service, end my suffering” smile. “Welcome.”</p><p>Izuku drew in on himself, his lips thinning. “Hi…” his voice was meek. He didn’t feel like he belonged here, despite no one else being in the shop.</p><p>The barista gave him an unreadable look and put the newspaper down. “Is there anything I can help you with?”</p><p>“Ah! I’m…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m actually… lost. Could you tell me where I am? I-I won’t bother you after that, I swear!”</p><p>“Don’t worry about it, kid.” He snorted, putting the newspaper away. “Why don’t you sit down and I’ll get you something to drink. I probably shouldn’t offer a kid like you coffee, but I do have some sodas in the fridge if you want some.”</p><p>Izuku hesitated. “I really shouldn’t…”</p><p>“I insist. Besides,” he looked Izuku up and down, his gaze lingering on the burned fabric of the white parts of his uniform, “you look like you need to sit down for a minute or two.”</p><p>Well, he couldn’t say no to that; his feet were really starting to ache. “Okay…” Izuku took a seat at the bar, at the far end away from the door. His hands fell awkwardly in his lap. “Thank you, Mister…”</p><p>“Sojiro Sakura,” he answered, turning back into the kitchen area.</p><p>“Thank you, Sakura-san. I’m name is Izuku Midoriya,” Izuku offered, glancing into the fridge as Sakura opened it. There were a lot of ingredients inside—for the curry?</p><p>“Nice to meet you. Unfortunately, I only have two types of soda on hand: melon and pineapple. Which do you want?”</p><p>“Melon, please.”</p><p>Sakura poured it in a glass with ice and a straw and handed it over to him. When he did, their hands touched. Months in the future, Izuku would learn that Sojiro had used his quirk on him: a minor claircognizance quirk he called Insight. By touching the skin of another person, Sojiro could psychically learn information, specifically favorites. Usually he used it to learn other people’s favorite flavors, so he could work it into their coffee somehow, but it only picks up whatever is relevant to the individual in that very moment so it isn’t very reliable. Sojiro would tell him that, in that moment, he learned Izuku’s favorite burn cream.</p><p>“That,” Sojiro would say, looking like he needed a cigarette, “was the moment I decided to convince you to stick around. No one has favorite brands of medicine unless they use them a lot and have tried a variety. I don’t know what’s going on in your life, kid, and I’m not sure if I want to be involved, but… if you needed a safe place, I’m always willing to provide it.”</p><p>That statement would cause Izuku to cry later, but for now, he simply took his drink and sipped on it. He wished he could take the ice out and rub it on his forehead. “Is it good?” Sakura asked and Izuku nodded. “Good, good… so, how’d you get lost here in Yongen-Jaya?” Izuku nearly choked, but Sakura continued talking. “I know there’s a lot of alleyways around here, but it shouldn’t be too hard to orient yourself with the train station and all.”</p><p>“I ran all the way to Yongen-Jaya…” He muttered to himself, unknowing that Sakura—and almost as important, the electronic bug hidden under the counter—could hear him. Musutafu and Yongen-Jaya bordered each other, but Aldera Junior High had been in the center of Musutafu. He’d managed to run an entire district…? “I guess I’ll have to take the train back…”</p><p>“You have enough money for it?”</p><p>His head shot up; he’d forgotten Sakura was there! “U-Um! Y-Yes, I think so! Musutafu is only a few stops over, so it should only be a few hundred yen.” Though he didn’t know if he had enough for both a train ticket and the drink, he now realized.</p><p>“That’s good. If you need any more though, I’ll lend you the money.”</p><p>“You don’t have to!”</p><p>“Consider it a loan; you’d just have to pay me back later.” Sakura nodded his head towards the back of the café, where the bathroom was. “Why don’t you clean yourself up? There’s a first aid kit in there too, if you need it.”</p><p>“Oh!” Izuku didn’t know what to say. Sakura was already doing so much for him, and they’d only just met! Scrambling out of his seat, Izuku bowed and tried not to wince as his burned skin pulled. “Thank you very much!”</p><p>Sakura smiled, amused. “Don’t worry about it, kid. Your drink will be waiting on you to get back.”</p><p>Izuku took Sakura’s advice and darted into the bathroom, finally getting a glimpse of himself in the mirror since he left school. He looked like he’d been tossed down a flight of stairs. He washed his face in the sink, wiping away dirt and sweat, before taking off his uniform shirt to observe the burn on his back. It stood out, pink among pale skin and paler scar tissue, but didn’t seem too bad, his shirt having taken most of the damage. He found the first aid kit in the cabinet and, despite the disappointing lack of burn cream, patched himself up.</p><p>By the time he exited the bathroom, Izuku looked and felt human again. Waiting for him upon his return was his drink and, inexplicitly, a fresh plate of curry and rice, steam still wafting off it. He blinked down at the food. “I didn’t order this…”</p><p>“You looked like you needed it.” And, as if to punctuate Sakura’s point, Izuku’s stomach growled. “Don’t worry, it’s on the house.”</p><p>“Thanks…” he laughed nervously. “I keep saying that, don’t I? Sorry…” He slunk back into his seat.</p><p>Sakura chuckled. “You’re a real nervous kid, aren’t you?”</p><p>“I guess…” Izuku grabbed the fork provided and tried the curry. It was… far better than he was expecting, honestly. Probably even better than his mom’s, though he hadn’t had it in a long while; the law office got more and more cases as the weeks went by. “It’s really good, Sakura-san.”</p><p>“Glad to hear it.”</p><p>Quickly eating his meal, Izuku’s attention turned to the tv, which Sakura must have turned on while he was in the bathroom. It was turned to Hero News, the leading station that reported the most notable hero fights. The station was practically the only one used in the Midoriya apartment. At that moment, they were recapping a fight with—“It’s Wash! The Laundry Hero!”</p><p>“Hmm?” Sakura raised an eyebrow. “You a fan?”</p><p>“Of his quirk, yeah.” Izuku’s eyes were glued to the screen. Oh, if only he had his notebook with him! Despite being such a high-ranking hero, Wash’s fights were surprisingly hard to catch on film. He’d just have to memorize it then. “The only demographic that consistently likes Wash is young children, but his quirk, Rinse Cycle, is really fascinating! Not only is the water somehow generated from his head, but his most used attack—Rinse Cycle Turbo—is always in a spiral pattern, indicating a large amount of hydrokinetic control. There’s also the fact that he can control the force of water expelled, as seen in one of his fire rescues early last year when he used his quirk as a fire hose and doused an entire city block in under a minute! I’m not sure how the water is created—beforehand I thought it was from his own internal supply, but after that fire I think it might be absorbed from the surrounding atmosphere—but his control over it is one that can’t be underestimated!”</p><p>Sakura huffed a laugh. “You really like heroes. You want to be one?”</p><p>Izuku’s face heated up with embarrassment. “Ah, sorry! I tend to ramble about quirks a lot… but yes. I do want to be a hero.”</p><p>He expected some vague platitude about how nice that was or something, but Sakura just eyed him and said, “Alright. But you’re going to need to put on some muscle if you want to get into a hero school.”</p><p>“I know. But… someone once told me that putting on a lot of muscle before my final growth spurt would hurt me.” Well, he said it in a more refined way, even googling information to show him, but that was the gist of it. “So I decided to work more on building my stamina and agility before I start weight lifting.” Hence, running away from Kaachan.</p><p>Sakura nodded. “A good plan. Make sure you’re eating right too, and that you rest in between work outs.”</p><p>“I will.” Izuku ate the rest of his curry and finished his drink, feeling recharged and ready to go home. Despite originally feeling out of place, LeBlanc was nice. He felt at peace there, like he did at home, instead of everywhere else when he had to keep glancing over his shoulder to stay away from Kaachan or any other Aldera student. He really wanted to come back. Maybe he could add Yongen-Jaya to his afternoon running schedule? It would be a bit of a stretch, but if he managed to get here by running from Kaachan, then he should reasonably be able to run without danger involved. He stood, leaving the dishes on the table. “Thank you, Sakura-san. For everything.”</p><p>Sakura waved away his gratitude. “It’s fine, kid. Get home safe, alright?”</p><p>“I will,” Izuku said with a smile. “I’ll stop by again soon!” He’d just found his favorite place, after all—one where no one from his normal life could find him. He wasn’t about to give that up quickly.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Alibaba</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It took Izuku several days to earn enough money to pay back Sakura-san for his kindness (and to buy another meal, because while katsudon might be his favorite food, Sakura-san’s curry quickly became a close second). His mom let him do chores around the house for pocket money, so once he made enough, he walked back to Yongen-Jaya. He’d considered taking the train—after all, it would take less time—but high school was only a year away! He had to start exercising on a more regular basis. If he could run to Yongen-Jaya, he could certainly walk there… as long as he used his GPS. Sakura-san didn’t want to accept the money, but Izuku insisted until he did… and then ordered another plate of curry.</p>
<p>Izuku really liked LeBlanc. Mostly because no one else knew about it, not even his mom; it felt like he had a hidden treasure to protect. Sakura-san didn’t let anyone mess with him while he was there, though that had more to do with a lack of people than anything else. It was rare that Izuku would see another person in LeBlanc, so he came back again and again, until it was a bi-weekly ritual. Sakura-san—“Just call me Boss, kid”—would even turn the tv over to the Hero channel for him.</p>
<p>One day after school started back up again, as it was getting late in the afternoon and Izuku was writing in his hero journal, muttering to himself, Boss said, “You sure spend a lot of time here. Wouldn’t you rather be hanging out with your friends?”</p>
<p>“Ah…” Izuku looked away. “I don’t… really have a lot of friends. People at my school think I’m weird.”</p>
<p>Boss frowned. “You doing okay there? If you’re being bullied…”</p>
<p>“O-Oh, I wouldn’t call it bullying!” Izuku laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head where Kaachan had landed a nasty slap early that day. “It’s not their fault they don’t like me. It’s just… how things are.”</p>
<p>“Mm-hmm.” Boss didn’t sound like he believed him but let it be, focusing back on his newspaper. Izuku was about to take another bite of his curry when his phone buzzed. It was from an unknown number.</p>
<p>
  <strong>Why?</strong>
</p>
<p>“Why…?” Izuku muttered, staring puzzled at the phone. It buzzed again.</p>
<p>
  <strong>Why does no one like you?</strong>
</p>
<p>“Can you…” he whispered. “Can you hear me?”</p>
<p>
  <strong>Yup. Answer the question.</strong>
</p>
<p>Izuku glanced around the café. Sakura wasn’t paying any attention to him and besides, he didn’t have his phone out. There was no one else here. So where…? Hesitantly, Izuku typed back:</p>
<p>
  <strong>Where are you?</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>My house. Are you being bullied?</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>What? No!</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>But you were hurt the first time you came to LeBlanc.<br/>So someone is hurting you. </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>How do you even know that!?</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Sojiro told me.</strong>
</p>
<p>Izuku eyed the man. He still wasn’t doing anything more than reading the newspaper, so how…</p>
<p>
  <strong>What do you want?</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>I…<br/>I don’t know.<br/>This was a bad idea.<br/>I’m sorry.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Wait!</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>What?</strong>
</p>
<p>He paused. Really, he didn’t know why he had tried to continue the conversation with the mysterious person, but something… something in his gut told him that he needed to.</p>
<p>
  <strong>Do you usually listen to me?<br/>When I’m at LeBlanc.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>…Yeah.<br/>I like your muttering. <br/>It’s really interesting.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>You like it?<br/> Most people tell me it’s annoying…</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>You’re into quirk analysis, right?<br/>You’re really good at it.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Thanks.<br/>You’re the first person to ever say that.</strong>
</p>
<p>Izuku’s fingers paused on the keyboard. No risk, no gain.</p>
<p>
  <strong>My name is Izuku.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>You may call me…<br/>Alibaba.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Did you…want to be friends?</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>I…<br/>I’m thinking.<br/>…<br/>…</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>…sure, why not. <br/>Just don’t ask to meet in person!</strong>
</p>
<p>Izuku laughed under his breath.</p>
<p>
  <strong>What, are you actually a pedophile?</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>No! I just have issues going out.<br/>I’m only a year older than you!</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Prove it.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Grr… Fine!</strong>
</p>
<p>Alibaba sent a picture and, while it was hard to tell, Izuku could definitely see a quarter of a young-looking face with a hand doing a peace sign. But what really tipped him off was the Featherman action figures in the background.</p>
<p>
  <strong>Cool Featherman.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Shuddup!<br/>Do you want to be friends or not!?</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>I do, I do. Sorry.<br/>Wait, how did you get my number to begin with?</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Um…<br/>*Alibaba has left the chat*</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Don’t just type that!<br/>Answer the question!</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>&gt;:3c</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Delinquent</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey, my ff.net page has a poll where you can vote for who Izuku's father should be. Please vote! https://www.fanfiction.net/u/4433107/</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>One day, near the beginning of April, Boss pulled Izuku aside.</p>
<p>“Hey…” Boss looked nervous and Izuku instantly knew something was wrong. Boss was never nervous. Alibaba—Boss’s kid, though she still hadn’t told him her real name yet—had mentioned once that he was unshakeable. “Since you spend so much time here, I figured I might as well give you a warning.”</p>
<p>“A… warning?”</p>
<p>“Starting next week, there’s going to be a lodger living above the café. He’s in high school, only a few years older than you, and… the reason I’m taking him in is because he’s on probation.” Izuku froze; a criminal would be living with Boss and Alibaba? Well, above the café, but that allowed the stranger to hurt Boss in his place of work! He could steal the coffee beans, or burn down the café, or…</p>
<p>Izuku bit his lip to keep his concerns from leaking out. The last thing Boss needed was him to flip out on him. “What did he do?”</p>
<p>Sakura sighed and the frown lines on his face seemed deeper than ever. “He was arrested for assault.”</p>
<p>He looked away. He had to choose his words carefully… “If… if Boss is sure he should live here, I won’t have any problem with it. But I… I don’t think I want to talk to him. At least not right away.”</p>
<p>Boss didn’t look disappointed, but solemn. “And that’s your right. Do you want me to ask him not to talk to you?”</p>
<p>Izuku shook his head. “No. I don’t…” He didn’t want the boy to get mad if he learned Izuku knew he was on probation. “I’ll just avoid him. It’ll be fine, Boss! Don’t worry about me.”</p>
<p>Sakura made a noise that clearly meant he didn’t believe him, but left Izuku to his own business. Izuku tightened his shaking fingers around his pen. It wasn’t like this person could treat him any worse than the people at school, right? If Izuku didn’t tell him anything, if they never spoke, then they could just pass by each other, two strangers completely ignorant of what the other is doing.</p>
<p>Unless the boy tried to hurt Boss or Alibaba.</p>
<p>Hiding his phone underneath the counter, Izuku shot a quick text at Alibaba.</p>
<p>
  <strong>You’ll tell me if the boy Boss is taking in<br/>does something, right?</strong>
</p>
<p>Her response was immediate.</p>
<p>
  <strong>What boy?</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Check the café audio from the last few minutes.</strong>
</p>
<p>It was two minutes before he got a reply.</p>
<p>
  <strong>What!? Sojiro never told me about this!!</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Maybe he was trying to protect you?</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>More like he’s the one who needs to <br/>be protected! </strong>
  <strong>(</strong>
  <strong>≧</strong>
  <strong>ロ</strong>
  <strong>≦</strong>
  <strong>)</strong>
</p>
<p>His lips twitched into a smile. At least Alibaba would take care of Boss… With that out of the way, his attention returned to his notebook.</p>
<p>At the beginning of each <em>Hero Analysis for the Future,</em> Izuku always left a few pages blank for his own quirk, even when he hasn’t discovered anything new about Baton Pass in over five years.</p>
<p>Baton Pass was a deceptively simple quirk on paper; he could pass his own energy to another for a quick power up. It’s able to enhance a person’s strength or their quirk and disperses back to him once they use their quirk. But it’s so much more complex than that. For instance, if he passes his energy to one person, and that person tries to pass it to a third, then their energy is added to the “pass” and the attack gets even stronger. It can even be passed back to Izuku, increasing his physical strength (though he can’t pass it to another person until he uses the power up). His energy naturally wanted to be passed, resulting in a lot of accidents when he was a kid, and a lot of effort to make sure he only baton passed when he wanted to. Even the amount of energy could be altered, though he had a hard limit; his quirk wouldn’t let him pass more energy than it took to stay awake, and since it was returned near instantly there wasn’t much to worry about.</p>
<p>The last thing he knew about his quirk, that he discovered five years ago with his brother, is that just as he can give energy, he can steal it away from other people. The hard limit differed from person to person, dependent on their stamina level, but it was so scary seeing Nii-san collapse in exhaustion that Izuku swore to never use it against someone.</p>
<p>It wasn’t a hero quirk. A sidekick’s quirk, definitely, all his classmates and teachers had told him that, with Kaachan laughing loudly how he could only give a sub-par hero a power up and stand by while someone else defeats the villains. It’s not an offensive quirk. <em>What the fuck do you think you could do?</em> Kaachan once asked when they were still in elementary school, <em>make villains even more powerful? Stupid Deku, leave the hero work to those that can do something.</em></p>
<p>And what’s worse is that he wasn’t wrong. Izuku knew that, if he wanted to be a hero, it would have to be without a quirk. This thought stuck with him after he went home and when he went to school the next day. Almost like fate, he was attacked by a slime villain on the way home and All Might saved him. Izuku was about to ask his question when All Might took off again, this time with Izuku attached to his foot.</p>
<p>They landed and Izuku learned one of All Might’s secrets. It was then that he asked “Can I be a hero without using my quirk?”</p>
<p>And All Might said, “No.”</p>
<p>After their conversation and All Might left the roof, Izuku considered giving up. If even the number one hero thought he couldn’t be a hero, then why continue trying. But something, one small spark of rebellion kept burning in his heart. So Izuku walked down those stairs and onto the street, only to noticed smoke in the distance.</p>
<p>Like the hero he was, Izuku investigated. He saved Kaachan’s life from the slime villain. And the rest, Izuku would tell Aizawa with a small smile in UA’s north-most interrogation room, was between him and All Might. If Aizawa wanted to know, he’d have to ask the man himself.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Intermission: All Might</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>All Might didn’t know what to think. He could only watch as his successor was interrogated by his coworker, Nedzu silently at his side. He longed to go to the boy, to support him, because surely, he couldn’t be a villain. The boy who had rushed to save his classmate with no thought to his own health would never turn his back on heroism.</p><p>But then Young Midoriya started speaking and… he didn’t refute it. All Might’s desperate declarations that Aizawa had been mistaken, that it hadn’t been Young Midoriya in the broadcast fell silent as the young man he thought he knew began explaining exactly how he got involved with a dangerous villain organization. Did he ever truly know Young Midoriya? He trained the boy and even got to know some of his friends, but what did that mean in the long run? Nana had known everything about him when she chose to give Toshinori One for All.</p><p>What did he know about Young Midoriya?</p><p>“Did you know?” Nedzu asked, speaking for the first time since the interview began.</p><p>“I—No.” All Might couldn’t meet his eyes. “I didn’t even suspect. He just… seemed like a normal kid with an underwhelming quirk. I had no idea…”</p><p>“I doubt there was any real way to find out. We’re lucky that this was caught by us, instead of the Hero Commission.”</p><p>“What? Why?”</p><p>Nedzu shook his head. “Can you imagine what the Commission would do if they had the power to change people’s hearts?”</p><p>All Might grimaced. That… that would be bad. There were rumors about how Hawks managed to rise in the ranks so quickly, and Nighteye had once told him how several Commission members tried to blackmail him into spying on All Might, so the last thing heroes needed was the Commission holding “heart stealing” over their heads.</p><p>Still… “Do you think Young Midoriya was telling the truth? About how it isn’t a quirk?”</p><p>“I hope not. Otherwise, we’d lose jurisdiction over him.”</p><p>“The SIU…”</p><p>“Indeed. However, that presents a conundrum; during the supposed interview with the Phantom Thief leader last November, it was discovered that the changes of heart were the work of a quirk. But now, Midoriya is telling us it wasn’t?”</p><p>All Might’s eyes narrowed. “’Supposed?’ Do you think the interview was falsified?”</p><p>“It’s likely. I’m familiar with how the SIU works. It would be like them to falsify the evidence and demonize brainwashing quirks in the process.”</p><p>“How could they get away from such things!?”</p><p>“How indeed…?” Nedzu mused, with a mysterious smile on his face. “Ever since the confession of Masayoshi Shido, I had suspected he was the cause of the ever-increasing corruption of law enforcement. He confessed and his collaborators were captured, but the corruption remained. It’s slower now, with so many members of the police and Commission needing to be replaced, but it’s become clear to me that Shido wasn’t the only person manipulating the police. Perhaps… it’s very possible that Midoriya knows who this person is.</p><p>“After all, even after the suspicious events on Christmas Eve last year, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts remained active.”</p><p>Toshinori frowned. Nedzu was treating this like chess, with Young Midoriya and even the Phantom Thieves as pawns for his game. He didn’t like it, but… where was the young man who had wanted to be a hero even with a lackluster quirk, and where did the thief that took his place come from?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Unfortunately, I have to announce a month-long hiatus for all my stories until August 22nd, 2020, as I am currently working on a big project due then. If you follow my other stories, then next week's updates will still happen, if only because I already wrote those chapters.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Akira</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Izuku’s bones ached as he dragged himself to LeBlanc. All Might’s training had only started two weeks ago, in the middle of April, which wasn’t enough time to see real results yet… other than muscle strain and tiredness that is. But Izuku relished the pain; it meant he was getting stronger, strong enough for All Might’s quirk, strong enough to be a hero. He would put up with anything in order to become a hero.</p>
<p>The cooldown walk to LeBlanc was nice, with the weather just cold enough to cool his skin. He got there right before closing and, with the sun rapidly setting, he knew he’d have to take the train home. It was for the best. He probably wouldn’t have the energy to walk back.</p>
<p>The bell dinged cheerily above him as he walked in the door. The café was abandoned except for Boss and, surprisingly, the delinquent, both behind the counter. It looked like Boss had been teaching him how to brew coffee when he came in.</p>
<p>Izuku managed a weary smile. “Good evening.”</p>
<p>“Evening,” came the rough reply. “Why don’t you sit down, kid? I’ll whip up your usual.”</p>
<p>“No thanks, Boss.” Izuku hated to deny, but All Might’s diet plan didn’t have room for Sojiro’s curry, even if it was tasty. “Just my usual coffee, please.”</p>
<p>He’d started drinking coffee on recommendation from All Might. He’d asked just so he could still have an excuse to continue walking all the way to Yongen-Jaya.</p>
<p>Boss gave him a look, but began to prepare his coffee, a macchiato with a hazelnut syrup. Izuku sat in his usual chair in front of the coffee maker, trying not to look at the delinquent. His name was Akira, Izuku had learned on his visit the previous week, but Izuku had yet to speak with him, only seeing the boy in passing as he went to the attic after school. In his efforts to keep from looking at Akira, Izuku found himself locking eyes with Boss. That seemed to be enough permission for Boss to get all serious on him.</p>
<p>“Has everything been okay at home lately, kid?”</p>
<p>Izuku could feel Akira’s curious eyes on him and decided not to let anything slip. “Things have been fine. Why do you ask?”</p>
<p>“You’ve been coming in later than usual, these past two weeks. Stopped ordering food too.” Sojiro’s eyes roamed his body, as if checking for wounds. “Makes me worry, is all.”</p>
<p>Smiling sheepishly, Izuku rubbed the back of his neck, trying to work out a kink. “Sorry, Boss. I’ve just started some really intense training, that’s all. I’m on a diet now too, to help build muscle, and I have to keep to it if I want to get stronger. B-But I still love your curry! I’ll just… save it for special occasions.”</p>
<p>Boss probably didn’t believe him—Boss had a remarkable talent for knowing when he was being lied too—but fortunately he didn’t press the issue and gave Izuku his coffee. As Izuku took out his notebook to work, Sojiro flipped the tv over to Hero News. “So long as you’re not over-working yourself. You don’t want to collapse on the way home.”</p>
<p>“I won’t. Thanks, Boss!” Izuku sipped his coffee, his taste buds only saved thanks to the hazelnut flavor, and got to work on analyzing. He didn’t want his skills to rot while he worked on improving his body after all. A hero needs to be smart and strong, with the focus being on the former, like Nii-san used to say.</p>
<p>Halfway through updating his entry on Lockrock (who’d stopped an entire building from collapsing earlier that day and inspired Izuku to rethink the hero’s quirk <em>again</em>. Who’d think a simple immobilizing quirk would be so complicated!?), when a black cat hopped up on the counter beside him. Boss didn’t seem to notice, busying himself with putting the leftover curry away, but the delinquent did, watching with wide eyes behind his glasses.</p>
<p>Izuku blinked. The cat blinked back.</p>
<p>Okay, then. Weird. As he went back to his work, the cat leaned over his notebook, like he was observing it, and let out a little chirrup. Boss looked up from his dishes and saw. “Don’t get on the counter during business hours!” he snapped, nudging the cat away from Izuku. “Go on, shoo!”</p>
<p>“It’s alright,” Izuku tried to reassure, but the cat already jumped away, meowing and chirping the entire time. The noisy cat seemed to address Akira, looking at him as it meowed away, going for over ten seconds before stopping. Izuku watched sadly as the cat ran up the stairs to the attic; he would have liked to pet him.</p>
<p>“Sorry about Morgana,” Izuku glanced up to see Akira in front of him. He slowly pulled his notebook back towards him, not wanted him to see the detailed breakdown of a hero’s quirk. “He’s usually a lot better behaved. Was he bothering you?”</p>
<p>“No, it was alright. I didn’t mind so much.” Izuku wanted a cat for forever, but his dad had been allergic and their apartment didn’t allow for them, so Izuku would be forever catless until he moved out.</p>
<p>“That’s good,” he said and did Izuku imagine the way his eyes peeked at his notebook? “What are you working on?”</p>
<p>No, he hadn’t imagined it. In fact, Akira seemed a lot more interested in Izuku’s notebook than Izuku himself. “Just some schoolwork,” Izuku lied, closing the notebook cover down so Akira couldn’t see the title and slipping it back into his backpack. “It’s rude to work on it here though.”</p>
<p>“Oh.” Izuku tried to convince himself that the older teen was just curious, but the interest and subsequent disappoint in his eyes couldn’t be hidden behind glasses. And Izuku couldn’t think of a single good reason why a boy on probation would be interested in the analysis of hero quirks. “Is it difficult?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Izuku answered as he chugged down the rest of his coffee. “I should really go home so I can finish it. My mom will be worried if I don’t come home soon. Thanks, Boss!” Izuku threw down more than enough yen for his coffee and bolted for the train station, leaving a confused Sojiro and Akira behind him.</p>
<p>The last thing he needed was for some delinquent to get his hands on his notebook! Imagine the harm he could do to a hero! Izuku would have to work on a way to protect it. A code, maybe? He’d ask Alibaba for recommendations when he got home.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Run In</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The things Izuku did for Alibaba.</p>
<p>Only a few weeks ago did he learn that the hacker was a shut-in. Izuku didn’t mind, of course; it would be rude to judge when Alibaba has some serious social anxiety issues and he could totally understand the urge the lock yourself in your room and never come out again. But sometime in between working out with All Might and trying to only be at LeBlanc when Akira wasn’t there, Izuku managed to become Alibaba’s errand boy, running all around Tokyo to gather whatever weird and rare objects she needed for her project of the day. Today, she sent an ask during lunch for him to pick up a huge bag of Featherman gummies sold only in one specialty shop in Shibuya.</p>
<p>He just hoped Alibaba didn’t mind them a little burnt, because Kaachan found and cornered him in an alleyway before he could make his way back to LeBlanc.</p>
<p>“<em>Deku!</em>” Izuku instinctively dodged to the right and another explosion popped over his shoulder. He didn’t dare look back, not unless he wanted a face full of fire, and could only hope that Kaachan would stop using his quirk as he ducked into the Shibuya crowd.</p>
<p>He was so <em>tired of this!</em> What did he do to Kaachan to make him hate him so much!? Was Izuku really that bad of a person that Katsuki could hate him with no explanation!? Sure, Izuku had been disappearing a lot and through Katsuki’s yelling he could tell the other was pissed about it, but what did Kaachan care!? If anything, he should be glad Izuku’s not around to bother him!</p>
<p>“Oof!” Izuku ran face first into someone stepping out of an alley, but instead of falling back, someone grabbed the front of his shirt. He looked up, ready to thank the stranger and keep running, but his mind blanked. It wasn’t a stranger. “Ah—”</p>
<p>“It’s you,” said Akira Kurusu said, still dressed in his school uniform, his cat peeking over his shoulder from inside a carry-on bag.</p>
<p>Izuku flinched out of the older boy’s grip, nearly falling again in the process. “I-I’m sorry! Thank you for-for catching me!” He held his hands up by his face, the universal sign of being unarmed. He carefully scanned the crowd. Maybe Kaachan left already…?</p>
<p>No. Izuku flinched again as he heard the familiar popping of Kaachan’s quirk nearby. He’d only lost him for a moment. His eyes met Akira’s again and Izuku shrunk under his piercing stare. “I-I need to go now… I really am sorry…”</p>
<p>Izuku tried to flee, to hide in the crowd until he could safely return to Yongen-Jaya with Alibaba’s goods when a hand held him back. “Are you alright?” Kurusu asked. “You look burned.”</p>
<p>He was right; Kaachan had managed to clip him a few times. Izuku forced a smile. “I’m fine!” It would have been convincing had Kaachan not chosen to let loose another round of explosions. Izuku flinched again.</p>
<p>Kurusu frowned. “There’s a dinner near here.” Izuku blinked at the non-sequitur. “The food’s pretty cheap and the owners don’t tolerate any misbehavior. Do you… We could stay in there. Until you feel comfortable enough to leave.”</p>
<p>Was he… giving Izuku an out? Sure, he’d have to spend time with Kurusu, but even Kaachan wouldn’t dare hurt him in a family restaurant. He could wait out the other boy, maybe even ride back to Yongen-Jaya with him if Kaachan was still there after a while.</p>
<p>But… again, he’d have to interact with Kurusu. The older boy still scared him, but… he hadn’t ever seen him do anything illegal. Maybe… maybe he was actually reforming while on parole? It wouldn’t be very hero-like of him to judge someone trying to reform their life, right?</p>
<p>“I…” Izuku bit his lip. “I think that’s a good idea.”</p>
<p>Kurusu nodded. “Alright; it’s just over here.” He led the way.</p>
<p>And Izuku followed him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Charity</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Izuku tried not to look at Kurusu-kun. Instead, he focused on the Nostalgia Steak the teen had ordered for him. So… he was being nice. Really nice. A lot nicer than Izuku had expected, to be honest. Hesitantly, he ate some of the steak. It was delicious, reminding him of his mother’s cooking. He swallowed, the meat going down rougher than he expected.</p>
<p>He’d… been rude a lot to Kurusu-kun in the past, hadn’t he?</p>
<p>Fortunately, meat was allowed in his diet and the steak looked like a lean cut, so Izuku wouldn’t feel guilty about finishing it.</p>
<p>Kurusu-kun sat across from him with his own Nostalgia Steak, sipping at his Frui-tea in between bites. Beside him sat his cat, tucked away in his bag so the waiters couldn’t see. Every once in a while, Kurusu-kun would sneak a bite of steak into the bag for him.</p>
<p>He’d been really rude to Kurusu-kun.</p>
<p>“You…” Izuku spoke for the first time since entering the dinner. “You didn’t have to order this for me. A coffee would have been just fine.” The Nostalgia Steak was expensive, the second most on the menu.</p>
<p>Kurusu-kun grimaced. This close, Izuku could see little physical mutations that were often indicative of an evoker quirk: the fingers dyed black with pointed fingernails, the sharp teeth, the bright blue of his veins under pale skin, the white of his eyes actually being black that his too shiny glasses covered. Izuku felt like he was talking to a demon lord. “I wouldn’t want to subject that on you, kid. The coffee here is… let’s say it’s not anywhere near on par with Boss’s. Besides, I like to support this place. It’s a cozy place to study when it rains.”</p>
<p>“Do you study here often?”</p>
<p>“As often as I can. It’s a good, central location near most of my part-time jobs. I feel like I get an extra pip of knowledge every time I study here, though I also study at LeBlanc. Not so much at school. Too much noise.”</p>
<p>Izuku could relate to that; whenever he tried to study in the school library, he could hear everyone whisper around him. Usually it was about unimportant topics, school gossip and the like, but whenever Katsuki was particularly harsh that day, the whispers were all about him, mocking him, laughing at him. It was exhausting.</p>
<p>“I usually study at home, or at LeBlanc,” Izuku offered.</p>
<p>“Really? I haven’t seen you around that often.” Akira said and Izuku winced. “I guess we just miss each other a lot.”</p>
<p>“Yeah… plus, I’ve been really busy lately.”</p>
<p>“Oh? Preparing for high school entrance exams?”</p>
<p>Izuku nodded, smiling for the first time since he ran into Kurusu-kun. “Yeah! I’ve been training for UA.”</p>
<p>He expected a follow-up question, like Kurusu-kun asking what his quirk was, or a comment about how he didn’t look the hero type, but he just nodded. “That’s a difficult path, but if you’re determined enough, I think you can do it.”</p>
<p>Izuku straightened in his chair. “You think so?”</p>
<p>“Boss says that you used to come into LeBlanc several times a week for hours at a time. Now you only come in one a week for 30 minutes.” Kurusu-kun shrugged. “If you’re putting in the time and are that determined to be a hero, UA would have to be run by idiots not to let you in.”</p>
<p>He stuttered, scandalized that anyone would even accuse Nedzu, the Principled Hero, of being an idiot. “I, I wouldn’t say that…” He rubbed the back of his neck.</p>
<p>“You’d be surprised.” Kurusu sipped his tea. “Both of my parents work for the Hero Commission and you won’t believe how many heroes get permanently injured due to a lack of training. Their quirks are great, but it’s the rest of them that’s the problem.” He set the tea down with a light clink. “What kind of training are you doing?”</p>
<p>“Strength and muscle building. I’m cleaning Takoba Municipal Beach Park by hand.”</p>
<p>“Cleaning?”</p>
<p>“It’s a dump. Literally; the way the tides are there brings a lot of trash to shore, and people end up dumping the rest.”</p>
<p>“Community service is good; I have to do around 100 hours during my year of probation. Maybe I could join you every once in a while?”</p>
<p>Izuku winced. “I don’t know… my trainer is dead set on me clearing the beach before entrance exams.” Plus, he didn’t know how All Might would react to someone who didn’t know about his injury showing up to their training.</p>
<p>Kurusu frowned. “…Is it a small beach?”</p>
<p>“…No.” Not in the slightest.</p>
<p>The frown deepened. “Are you doing any other training?”</p>
<p>“…I’m on a special diet?”</p>
<p>“But he’s not teaching you to fight? Parkour? First Aid? Dodging?”</p>
<p>“A-Ah… He says that building muscle needs to be our first priority…”</p>
<p>“Not at your age! You’re not even out of middle school yet. Putting on too much muscle before you hit puberty can mess up your bones. I have a doctor friend who can explain it if you don’t believe me.”</p>
<p>Izuku waved his hands in front of his face. “No, no, I believe you! It’s just… Gaining muscle is really important right now.” If he wanted to be able to inherit All Might’s quirk… His weak Baton Pass wouldn’t even be able to get him past the entrance exams.</p>
<p>Kurusu sat back in his booth, exhaling harshly. “I don’t suppose you’re doing anything to improve your mind, are you?”</p>
<p>He sounded so resigned that Izuku couldn’t help an indignant, “I am, actually! I do quirk analysis!”</p>
<p>“Really?” He tilted his head. “Is that what was in your notebook?”</p>
<p>Izuku dropped his gaze, suddenly mortified by how he acted when Kurusu had last seen his notebook. Kurusu had been nothing but kind to him today. The least he could do was tell him a little… “Y-Yeah. I like analyzing hero quirks. I’m, I’m pretty good at it too! Since so many villains rely solely on their quirks, I figure if I can analyze them, I can beat them.”</p>
<p>“Do you analyze villain quirks? Or anyone else?”</p>
<p>“Not so much villains, but the people I know, yeah. Villains aren’t in the public eye that often, since reoccurring villains make up around 10 percent of the villain population and even then, they’re rarely on television.” Izuku honestly wondered about the villain-to-hero ratio sometimes, since no matter how many heroes there were in Japan, there were always twice the number of villains to meet them.</p>
<p>“That’s good…” Kurusu sighed. “I’m still concerned though. You really need to learn how to fight…”</p>
<p>“I’d ask my mentor, but he’s already so busy, he’s only at the beach one day a week.” Izuku shrugged. “And me and my mom don’t have enough money lying around to send me to a dojo, otherwise I would have gone years ago.”</p>
<p>Kurusu’s hand rested near his mouth as he nodded. The cat, Morgana, peeked his head out of the bag to look at Izuku before chirping at Kurusu, who nodded again in response. Kurusu met Izuku’s gaze, his black-grey eyes intense. “What if I taught you how to fight?”</p>
<p>“W-What!?” He couldn’t have heard that correctly.</p>
<p>“I know a few fighting styles—my parent’s work and all—so I could definitely teach you. I’m pretty good at fighting, if you couldn’t guess.”</p>
<p><em>I already guessed</em>, Izuku thought hysterically, <em>since you were arrested for assault! </em></p>
<p>“—You’d be able to learn safely, then practice on your own. I’m teaching some friends too, so you can spar together if you want.” Kurusu smiled, bright and charming. “What do you say?”</p>
<p>“What do you want from me?” Izuku blurted out.</p>
<p>“Nothing but your friendship.”</p>
<p>“No one wants my friendship.” Izuku looked away, phantom explosions burning his skin. “I… I could do quirk analysis for you. A-As long as you don’t use it to do anything illegal…” Izuku flinched. “N-Not that you would! It’s just—”</p>
<p>“I understand. You don’t have to do anything at all, but if you prefer… then it’s a deal?” Kurusu held his hand out to be shaken.</p>
<p>“Deal.” Izuku grabbed the hand. “Call me Izuku?”</p>
<p>“If you call me Akira.”</p>
<p>And while Izuku couldn’t notice, Akira was frozen in time, listening to a phantom little girl whisper in his ear:</p>
<p><em>I am thou, thou art I. Thou hast acquired a new vow. </em><br/>
It shall become the wings of rebellion that break thy chains of captivity.<br/>
With the birth of the Charity Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that should lead to freedom and new power...</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If anyone has an idea for Yoshizawa, Maruki, or other confidant's quirks, leave them in the comments below! All main game Phantom Thief characters have quirks that I have decided on (but if you want to guess those, go ahead). </p>
<p>Also, this fic has an official playlist now! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7ifyLC52QhDvbveTBsFvGN?si=jk5GId9iT2mPhT3Y9bqTxw   If you have any suggestions, leave them in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Rank 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It took Izuku a while to find a suitable place for his and Akira’s training. He didn’t want to take the high schooler to the beach—that was his and All Might’s space, he didn’t want it intruded upon so soon—but there weren’t a lot of other places he could think of. After talking to Alibaba about it, Izuku decided on a gym in Shibuya. It was expensive, but it would be good for a one-time training session. Not that he thought he would only have one session with Akira! He just wanted to make sure that Akira knew he was invested as he searched for a good place.</p>
<p>Akira agreed for a meeting easily enough, so right after school in late May they arrived at the gym together.</p>
<p>Izuku swallowed as they walked inside. Akira greeted the man at the front desk; clearly he had been here before at some time. Izuku had rented them the “Quirk Room,” which would allow them to use their quirks unsupervised so long as everything inside the room remained intact by the end. Any damages and… he didn’t want to think about it. The cost would be more than his family could afford.</p>
<p>Still it would be useful. It was big, and there were several things used for quirk training: weights and bars bolted to the ceiling and paper targets against a steel wall.</p>
<p>“Which do you want to do first?” Akira asked, settling into the room. “Fighting or quirk training?”</p>
<p>The way he phrased that, Akira clearly expected Izuku to choose fighting, so he picked the opposite. “Quirk analysis is typically less physically taxing.”</p>
<p>Akira cocked an eyebrow. “Okay then. Where do we start? With me?”</p>
<p>“Yeah. Tell me about your quirk.”</p>
<p>He nodded. “It’s called Shadow Lord. I can manipulate shadows.” To accent his statement, Akira’s shadow swept out behind him, far larger than the room’s ceiling lights would allow. It was darker than normal shadow, Izuku noticed, almost pure black and it writhed, alive. “But I can only manipulate my own, or shadows that my shadow is touching.”</p>
<p>“Can you touch things with your shadow? Say, grab one of those weights?”</p>
<p>“It’s difficult, but yeah. It’s easier to just use it as a blunt object and push things.” The shadow tried to grab one of the weights, but it slipped out of its grip and fell to the floor with a loud bang. The shadow pushed it back and forth.</p>
<p>Izuku nodded. That would be one of the first things they would work on. Other shadow quirks that he’d studied allowed for precise control when able to interact on the physical plane. He narrowed his eyes. “Try… making tendrils? Or tentacles? Something smaller that’s easier to control.” Akira frowned but obeyed and his shadow reached out at the weight, small enough to wrap around it instead of the giant mass it was before. But still, it was unable to grab the weight. “Well, that didn’t work.”</p>
<p>“No, but it does look cool.” With that, Akira’s shadow flared out into dozens of tendrils, waving along the walls.</p>
<p>“It does look intimidating,” Izuku agreed, cracking a smile, “but not too useful if you can’t grab anything.”</p>
<p>He approached the shadow itself and crouched. Up close, it looked thick, slick as tar and twice as vicious.  Izuku reached out to touch it and Akira jumped. “Can you feel that?”</p>
<p>“Yeah? It’s weird though; less of a touch sensation and more like I’m sensing that you’re there?”</p>
<p>“Is it just me you feel, or inanimate objects too?”</p>
<p>“Just you.”</p>
<p>Izuku sat back on his heels. “That would be useful for rescue,” he muttered. “Absorb the shadows within a collapsed building to sound out survivors, and even support the structure to prevent further collapse. Of course, the second part would be difficult if you can’t sense physical objects, but your shadows seem almost liquid in consistency, so they might naturally fill any space they’re confined too… However, without the fine control to grab someone, your shadows could become more of a hinderance to rescuers than a help—”</p>
<p>“So fine control is our first priority.” Akira interrupted him.</p>
<p>“Ah!” Izuku sputtered, waving his hands. “Sorry! I’m, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to lose track of myself!” Stupid, stupid Deku! No one wants to hear you ramble on about their quirks, it makes them uncomfortable.</p>
<p>“It’s fine; you made good points.” Izuku blinked. He wasn’t… mad? “Fine control isn’t something that I’ve been able to practice, but I know a great place here in Shibuya. It’s just a matter of muscle memory.”</p>
<p>“Or whatever kind of memory you use to control them.” Izuku agreed. “Still, the consistency of your shadow bothers me. The few shadow quirks I’ve been able to observe don’t change the appearance of the shadow, so what is…” Izuku poked the shadow in question.</p>
<p>His finger sank inside up to the knuckle.</p>
<p>With a cry, Izuku jerked back, his finger freed. The shadow had felt cold and slimy, but didn’t leave any residue behind. Akira looked incredible grossed out. “That felt weird,” he said.</p>
<p>Izuku grinned. “But useful. Why don’t we see what exactly can enter into your shadows, and then you can teach me to fight?”</p>
<p>“…I don’t think I like the look on your face.”</p>
<p>“Because I’m <em>excited</em>,” he stressed. “Do you know what this means? Your quirk has changed the fundamental nature of shadows in a way I’ve never seen before.” His hands itched to write down his observations. “We need to experiment right now! Who knows what other things your shadows could do! Why, you… you might even be able to teleport using them!”</p>
<p>That caught Akira’s interest. “How do we figure it out?”</p>
<p>“I have a plan.”</p>
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